This invention relates to an antimicrobial formulation that can be used with silicone and silicon resins to coat products that have silicone surfaces or are 100% silicone, such as medical devices. It can also be directly incorporated into medical devices and products used for non-medical applications. In particular, it relates to antimicrobial formulations that can be blended with a room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone resin (for coating applications) or compounded with liquid silicone rubber (LSR) materials (for extruding or overmolding applications). The antimicrobial formulations comprise an antimicrobial material, a calcium chelator, a pigment, and a lubricant.
Silicone is a soft, highly flexible and non-toxic material extensively used for several types of medical devices, including catheters, stents, Foley catheters used for incontinence, other urological catheters, gastrostomy tubes, feeding tubes, and certain consumer products. Silicone, like other materials, is susceptible to bacterial adherence, which leads to the formation of biofilms and the encrustation of calcium deposits when used in contact with body fluids such as urine, blood, bile, etc. The presence of bacteria on medical articles can result in infections and the spreading of diseases.